Virginia State Police: 20 traffic deaths over the holidays

Chris Graham

Preliminary reports from the Virginia State Police indicate that 20 individuals lost their lives in 19 separate traffic crashes over the Christmas and New Year’s holidays in Virginia. In 2012, a total of 16 people died in traffic crashes during each of the four-day holiday statistical counting periods.

Work to begin on Interstate 64 upgrades in the Shenandoah Valley

Chris Graham

Gov. Bob McDonnell announced last week that VDOT is moving forward with technology upgrades designed to improve safety and traffic flow on Interstate 64 over Afton Mountain. The Commonwealth Transportation Board recently awarded a $4.6 million contract to G4S Technology of Springfield to design and build an Active Traffic and Safety Management System.

JAUNT provides new service due to additional funding

Contributors

The first of the new public transit services resulting from the historic transportation funding bill, HB2313 and the 2013 General Assembly session’s Senate Bill 1140 kicked off Nov. 4 in Central Virginia. JAUNT, a public transportation provider based in Charlottesville, covers six jurisdictions and is providing new services in each of them.

Valley lawmakers sign amicus brief in prayer case

Chris Graham

Del. R. Steven Landes, (R-Weyers Cave), along with Sen. Emmett W. Hanger, Jr, (R-Augusta County), and Delegates Dickie Bell (R-Staunton), Ben Cline (R-Amherst), and Todd Gilbert (R-Woodstock) have signed on to the Amici Brief in Town of Greece v. Galloway, which has now been filed with the Supreme Court of the United States.

Local hunger relief programs need your vote

The Blue Ridge Area Food Bank and two of its members (or partner agencies) are competing for a total of $85,000 in grant funding through Walmart’s nationwide Fighting Hunger Together campaign. The two Food Bank members competing for the grant include Hope Distributed, a food pantry in Harrisonburg, and Campus Kitchens, a food distribution program in Lexington. All of the grant funding will support their child hunger-relief programs.

Virginia receives disaster declarations due to summer derecho

Contributors

The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) announced today that Albemarle, Nelson and Page counties have received U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) designation as primary disaster areas due to excessive rain, hail, high winds and lightning associated with a derecho that occurred between June 28 and July 3, 2012.

EMU baseball posts another win

Contributors

A day after combining for 50 runs over 16 innings, it looked like EMU and Southern Vermont would settle into a low-scoring affair.  Then the seventh inning happened as the two teams put up nine runs.  The Royals held the edge again on Sunday, completing a three-game sweep of SVC with a 12-9 win. Each…